Of Friends and Enemies
by Footprints In The Snow
Summary: After the doorstep conversation, Annie Walker realizes something about Jai Wilcox that she did not expect. One-Shot.


**This is my first story here on FanFiction. I have little to say other than that I hope you enjoy it. As far as Covert Affairs is concerned, I obviously do not hold any ownership, nor will I ever. I wrote this story because the last episode made me realize something myself and I wanted to share. Enjoy.**

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**Of Friends and Enemies**

_Annie was confused._

_That was the only word she could think of to describe what she was feeling. Everything was jumbled, scrambled, and beyond crazy. She hadn't slept well lately, Ben was in her head so frequently. She had been so close to finally letting him go when he'd forced her to hang on even tighter._

_Jai's words rang in her head like a broken record._

"_Take your time."_

_What did that mean? For so long, she thought Jai was just some guy. A player. Someone who romanced woman after woman and didn't care about their feelings. But, as time wore on, she realized that she was all wrong about him._

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He was unlike anything she'd ever expected. At first, when she agreed to have him over for dinner, she thought he was trying to play her. He was fishing for a date. Then, he said those words on the doorstep.

The darkness of night didn't completely envelop them. The wind rustled the leaves in the trees and blew across her face. As his voice reached her, she didn't merely look at him, she studied him, looking for any sign of deception. As he gave his advice, she noticed the subtle flicker of pain in his brown eyes.

"I've been there before."

So, he knew what it felt like to be hurt? In that moment, all she wanted to do was find out who had done that to him. Who had hurt him enough for it to slip past whatever façade he was keeping up? She felt protective, which was odd for her. The only person she felt that way about was Auggie. She knew she was falling for Auggie in ways that she'd never fallen before, but she was far too scared to admit it to herself.

Did Jai see that? Was that why he was saying those words?

He looked right into her eyes as he shared his advice with her. They blazed with a determination that she hadn't expected from him. He was different, she was aware of that then. How different, though, she couldn't be sure.

Annie made her way to bed that night, still thinking of the sound of Jai's voice and the pain in his eyes. Everyone saw him in a certain way. They called him "CIA Royalty," but how did he see himself?

At first, she was sure that he was just as high and mighty as everyone had painted him to be. Her first impression of him had been negative, he seemed so pompous. Even Auggie had showed a certain animosity towards him that she'd never seen him display. Auggie was a kind and sensitive man who usually kept his feelings of dislike in check. Seeing him react to Jai that way had given her the impression that he was not someone she wanted to get to know.

She soon realized, though, that even her best friend could be wrong. There had to be a reason that Auggie disliked Jai, but maybe it went deeper than just the way Jai acted. She had never really given him the chance.

When she saw Jai with his father, she realized that not everything was as perfect in his life as he'd made everyone think. She noticed something large and ugly between the father and son that was keeping them miles apart. His life wasn't all sunshine and roses.

Jai was human. He wasn't just some CIA robot. It had taken her a long time to come to that conclusion, but it was staring her in the face. It was making itself known.

She was still thinking about Jai when she finally fell asleep.

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When she arrived at Langley the next morning, she didn't make her way to Tech Ops first, like she normally did. Auggie could wait, she decided. She had something more important to take care of.

Finding Jai was a little harder than she expected. It took her almost half an hour to locate him. He was leaning against a hallway wall, reading a paper. At first glance, he looked comfortable. Content.

The more she looked at him, though, the more she noticed his tense posture and the way his eyes only seemed to glance over the pages before him.

He didn't seem to notice her approach; because, when she touched his arm to gain his attention, he jumped slightly.

"Sorry, Jai. A little jumpy today?"

He gave her a small smile that was accompanied by a slight chuckle.

"Annie, I was so occupied by the story I was reading that I didn't notice you. Although, I don't see how I didn't, you look beautiful. As I said before, blue is a good color on you."

His voiced was laced with that almost cocky confidence he constantly displayed, but she noticed that his smile didn't completely reach his eyes.

"I need to talk to you, Jai."

She decided not to bring up the fact that she was on to him. Now that she knew what it looked like, she could see right through him. He agreed to follow her into an empty room at the end of the hallway.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

They sat down in two of the chairs that were in the room. She was tired of beating around the bush.

"Quit the act, Jai. Did you mean what you said last night or were you just trying to play me?"

Her words seemed to sober him considerably. After a few moments of silence, the look on his face changed. It seemed to soften and his eyes showed his pain more clearly.

"I meant every word, Annie. I know heartbreak when I see it. I know what I may seem like to you, but I honestly just want to help. No one should have to feel that way and I will do everything in my power to change that, even if it's by a small amount."

His honest words took her by surprise. The way his low voice rang with a fierce determination and a sincerity that was unmatched by any captured her attention. She knew, then and there, that she could trust Jai Wilcox.

He wasn't born with a silver spoon in hand, like he'd been made out to have been. He was just like the rest of them, trying to make his way in the agency. He kept up that spoiled rich-kid attitude to cover up the truth. He was no better than anyone else.

He was, after all, human, as she'd came to the realization that previous night. She also knew why Auggie didn't seem to like him much. He saw himself in Jai. They both had a cover story. They both had masks that they wore in front of everyone else. Both Jai and Auggie had suffered their own forms of heartbreak and were working hard to hide it.

She reached out to Jai and laid her hand atop his. He flashed her a look of gratitude for understanding his intentions.

"Thank you, Jai. I think that maybe you're right. I need to move on and I have someone to go talk to. I don't think I'd be able to do it without you."

He smiled sincerely, nodding. She thought she heard him wish her good luck. As she made her way towards the Tech department, she knew that, by the end of the day, one thing was for sure:

She had one more person to count as a friend.

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**Thank you for reading. **

**~FITS~**


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